On Sunday’s news conference in Baghdad a man identified as an Iraqi journalist has thrown his shoes at the president Bush, missing him, while bush was making his farewell visit.
The shoes where ducked and one at the time passed over the president head, during the news conference held in Prime Minister’s Nuri al-Maliki palace in the heavily fortified Green Zone.
The Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi with Egypt-based al-Baghdadia television network was heard as yelling “This is a farewell…you dog” in Arabic while throwing the shoes. And while he was hold to the ground by the security “You killed the Iraqis”
While Al Zaidi was carried away Bush made light the incident and was quoted as saying “That was a size 10 shoe he threw at me, you may want to know.” The throwing of shoes at someone is considerate as insult in most Arab countries.
Al Zaidi is now held in custody and tested for alcohol and drugs to test whether he was fully conscious while Iraqi juridical system will decide whether he will be charged for assaulting Al-Maliki.
Bush’s final deduction of the incident was “It’s one way to gain attention. It’s like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It’s like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers. …”
He also added that other journalists were very apologetic for the incident and, Bush continued, it does not represent Iraqi people.
“But that’s what happens in free societies where people try to draw attention to themselves.” He concluded.
The white house has said that Bush’s trip to Iraq was to celebrate the end of the security pact, named the Strategic Framework Agreement and the Status of Forces Agreement.
The pact that both presidents were preparing to sign, while on conference replace a U.N. mandate for the U.S. presence in Iraq that will expires at the end of this year.
The agreement was reached after negotiations has set June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns while the date for all other U.S. troops to leave Iraq is December 31, 2011.
By Soraia Zohdi.
